Seating units, e.g. recliners and like articles of furniture, have been made in the past with a generally X configuration between the seat member and a back member or back rest such that the seat is generally inclined downwardly and rearwardly toward the floor so that its member has a relatively high front edge and a rear edge which forms one of the floor purchases. The back rest or back member, on the other hand, is inclined downwardly and forwardly so that its front edge or portion forms the other purchase on the floor while its upper portion extends above the seating surface to form a rest for the back of the user.
Each of these members can have a pair of lateral elements spanned by web, wicker, fabric or even rigid members which collectively define the seating and back rest surfaces.
On each side, the seat member and the back member can be provided with a respective element such that two elements are swingable relative to one another and one can be provided with one or more pins while the other is formed with one or more racks to allow relative sliding and pivotal displacement of the seat member and the back member. The elements of the seat member can be spanned by webbing, wicker, fabric or even rigid members defining the seating surface and back rest surface respectively.
To vary the inclination of the back rest member, the latter is shifted relative to the seat member by one or more notches or teeth of the respective rack and indexed anew therein.
While such seating units have been known to be highly effective and versatile, being easily controlled, frequently they do not provide a sufficient degree of comfort because the inclination and therefore the height of the front edge of the seat member varies in dependence upon the position and orientation of the back member.
In other words, when the back is relatively elevated or upright, the seat is comparatively high and as the back is lowered, the seat tends to drop as well as the front edge approaches the ground.
The user thus tends to slide on the unit because the seat no longer maintains its original inclination and many users found the seat uncomfortable in reclining positions in which the back is relatively low.
It is also difficult to readily get off or on the seat.